Central Asia news

War in the South of Kyrgyzstan: Present for Bakiev or Osh, STOP!

Starting from evening of June 12th the Interim Government of Kyrgyzstan introduced the round the clock curfew in the cities of Osh and Uzgen, as well as in Karasuu and Aravan districts of Osh Oblast (Osh Region).

According to the official regulation, no civilian is allowed to be outside of their dwellings without special papers, conditions, or permits.

This extreme measure illustrates well the catastrophic situation shaping up in southern Kyrgyzstan. A situation that was impossible to imagine even 1 week ago: “Never get out of the house, otherwise you will be killed”.

Kirgizia is used to political battles and the marching-out-on-the-square democracy since the reign of the first country president Askar Akaev. Later Kirgizia coped while living in a timeless economic uncertainty under a total ruthlessness of the people in power. Then Kirgizia got used to the marauding crowds that crawl out at the break of the next “revolution”. No one was ready when on the night of 11 June 2010 people were shot. Violently, randomly. With no discretion.

Ruthless, cynical criminals that called themselves “Uzbek” went on demolishing the houses of ethnic Kyrgyz, setting on fire the “Kyrgyz” shops, insulting and beating elderly and children. And then pretending to be “Kyrgyz” the same bandits went on demolishing “Uzbek” cafes and markets, shops and cultural centres, automobiles and private housing.

The violent provocation reached its aim: the streets and mahallas were struck by a chain reaction, eye for an eye, blood for blood.

This kind of scenario is not a rarity, it is not a finding nor a discovery. It is well known since early days, and today it is familiar from the Kosovo and Bosnian textbooks.

This kind of model of destabilisation is always on the surface in places where there are “locations of compact inhabitancy”. This model simply got into the hands of a Khan who suddenly lost his throne and was sent off to all the “dog’s devils” but who kept all the stolen money in his pockets, and loyal gangsters in his native village.

A day after the beginning of the tragedy I have no doubts that what is happening in Kyrgyzstan is not the infamous “ethnic conflict”, nor is it a territorial community war (i.e., for water, land, working places, political power, etc).

Uzbeks and Kyrgyz that are killing each other on the streets of Osh and Jalalabat, are not shedding their blood in the honour of their nations nor for the sake of some high ideals of justice. They are random victims, martyrs, puppets in the hands of a cynical and violent Khan, who was ousted from his throne, cornered away and is now full of revenge.

This Khan is the former president the Kyrgyz Republic Kurmanbek Bakiev. His wallet is his son Maxim. His loyal gangsters are his brothers Janysh, Ahmat, Kanybek... The smaller ranked servants that keep loyalties are the former bureaucrats who are tied to the Khan by killings, narcotics trade, raiding of businesses and torture, by their entire corrupt past, by their entire rotten core.

Today these people are a legion, and they are cornered, not having any access to the former luxuries of existence, they are announced in search by the InterPol and they do not like it.

There are no chances for taking revenge. The people of the country who wish for changes will never accept Bakiev back. And the Khan fails to understand it. In his paradigm of royal existence politics is a guaranteed betrayal, conscience is a heavy load, and the people are a hopeless redneck.

The relationships between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the southern Kyrgyz lands never were noticed to be too warm. They tensed up after the 7th of Aptil – the 2nd Kyrgyz Revolution. And this became the best gift for this Khan, omitting brackets. The Khan’s bastards having received some handouts from the Khan and promises that were not worth anything went robbing and killing, violating and burning. Evil deed is easily done. Osh with all its surrounding areas was on flame in no time like a box of matches.

Today there is no help form outside, the poor southern Kyrgyzstan provoked by its yesterday’s rulers is falling deep into a bleak chaos of hatred and revenge.

My dear city of Osh, where I’ve been 16 times in the last few years. My dear Kyrgyz friends and dear Uzbek friends. Please stop. It is not your fault.

Danyil Kyslov, editor in chief, Fergana Ru information agency, for whom Osh is his second Motherland.